the stones of venice/ the reinforced concrete of the seaside towns (when the thames barrier fails)

'I don't have general views about anything, except social injustice.' - marguerite duras.

last night horsemouth watched some of damned in venice (the old rotting city goes well with vampires). 

yesterday it rained. horsemouth did not get much done (or written). he needs to get more stuff done (or written) today. in the afternoon he goes to be of some assistance. 

horsemouth checks his coffee cup one last time (that's it horsemouth you've had your coffee). 

a year ago horsemouth was back from the preparatory meeting for the making of the fall of the house of fitzgerald. the old social housing stock of the seaside towns is being destroyed (and only token amounts of housing at social rent being included in the new housing), the poor are being swept out of the city, out into the badlands of essex once again. they are being swept away to make room for the young and entrepreneurial who are in the city to become rich (triumph of the city), for the opportunities for connection the city provides. but surely that's the old dream? surely the reality is that now with remote working the middle-class knowledge workers actually can live and work anywhere?

in any event fitzgerald house has fallen. only a handful of people remain. but will the planners dream of solvent consumers all congregating to use the new (re-aligned) market or visit the cinema come to pass? in a sense it does not matter because we are already gone. 

the city becomes a tourist city (but then one year the planes don't come). the guest-workers leave (planning to come back maybe). the city's population falls (but by how much? 300,000, 700,000, a million?) there are shortages of workers in key sectors and there is talk of pay rises and inflationary pressures again. but will all the bar-work come back? the leisure economy? the experience economy?

ruskin (in the stones of venice) imagines an artisanal economy but what kind of economy works best for the whole country? or rather, what kind of economy works best for the ruling class?   

there are 30 million people in the UK over the age of 50 (horsemouth learns in the booster jab discussions). we are old.  and in ten years time we will be 30 million people over 60.... horsemouth is not due his booster jab until december. he should hurry up and register with a doctor to get his flu jab in (he can no longer get it at work).

horsemouth is further up the hill (in the non-flooding zone he hopes) back in h_____y. when the thames barrier fails it will have been a wise choice (except he's near the relatively low-lying marshes). a number of friends have inflatable boats (he won't do so badly). except he'll have to move up into the attic. a number of basement flats on horsemouth's street were flooded by rainwater during the june storms. it gives horsemouth pause for thought.  

6 of swords. horsemouth is in a punt with another adult and a child. he pushes off towards the far shore. 

at the weekend perhaps some music. horsemouth plans something like the baaba maal and mansour seck record (but who knows how it will actually go). we are one week off the equinox  (and then down the long dark tunnel of autumn and winter). temperatures look mild until then.